"Mrs. Atwater will see you now." She spoke in a tone which conveyed her disappointment, but her smirk indicated the pleasure she'd derived from startling me. We stood there a second or two before I realized she wasn't going to walk me down to Mrs. Atwater's office. I said, "Don't ever let the world dampen that bubbly personality of yours, Ellen, it's what makes you so attractive." I didn't look back as I ambled toward the office but I could feel her eyes on the back of my neck; no doubt thinking about untraceable poisons and such, and long needles."